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I'm starting to free range to my chickens, because I felt bad for them when they are in the coop. but my neighbors chickens all got annihilated by a fox because we live right near the woods. I'm so scared about predators so that I have a instinct to just not let them go into the woods. my question is what kind of predators should I be on the look out for and maybe how to keep the away from my hens
 
Do you have a secure run for them? (with a skirt around the base, at least bird netting over the top?) Even that is not secure if it's made of chicken wire. But, that's what I have, b/c that's what I can afford. That will afford some protection during the day. The only way you can try to keep them safe if you let them out to free range is to sit outside with them and hold a shot gun. I let my birds out to range some times, but not every day, and not all day long. It all depends on what's going on. If hawks seem to be more vocal, present, I will keep them in unless I can be out with them. If coyotes are singing in the morning, or have been singing a lot at night, I am less likely to let them out.

Keeping chickens is risky business, whether you keep them shut in a run or let them free range. One could argue that they are more at risk in a run, cause a predator could break in, and then your birds would be trapped in the run WITH the predator. Kind of like catching fish in a gold fish bowl. Outside the run, at least they could run, and perhaps hide, depending on the landscaping in your yard.

Most important is that you keep them shut in a safe coop all night, every night. If your coop has an opening that you could push a quarter through, a weasel can get in, and he'll kill an entire flock in a single night just for the thrill.
 
LittleWillowFarm said:
I'm starting to free range to my chickens, because I felt bad for them when they are in the coop. but my neighbors chickens all got annihilated by a fox because we live right near the woods. I'm so scared about predators so that I have a instinct to just not let them go into the woods. my question is what kind of predators should I be on the look out for and maybe how to keep the away from my hens
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You could get an electric net, although I suppose some animals might jump it.

I do not free-range (the chickens eat the styrofoam insulation around our basement), but we have large fenced-in area that incorporates some woods. A fox could easily jump the fence. I have seen a fox in the yard 3 times. Twice it was fairly early in the morning and the chickens were locked up in their predator-proof run (the other time I chased the fox away). My approach is to not let them out very early and to have them in before dusk. I think predators are most active then.

Really, though, a lot depends on your area and luck. We went 7 years without a predator attack before a mink came along. I do not like keeping my birds cooped up all the time because they eventually pick on each other, but I have a lot of birds.
I am willing to lose a bird now and then, for the sake of them being out roaming around, but that's easy for me to say because I've had really good luck here.
 
LittleWillowFarm said:
hey guys, I live in Auburn with my 2 GL Wyandottes, 2 Barred Rocks, 2 SL Wyandottes, and 2 Dominiques. does anyone know any common predators around my area
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IF you live in town you should worry mostly about dogs, cats, hawks, owls,and eagles.. FUrther out then you run into raccoons, coyotes, weasels, fishers, minks, bobcats, fox, bears. Everything loves chicken. THe larger predator types usually aren't in town areas though.
 
Finally starting to get up and around. I have been feeding and watering the chikens for the last week. Had one of my second generation chicks I hatched out break two of her toes some how. I did try and seperate her and made a homemade splint along with buying vet wrap.
Thought I'd wrapped her up and set the toes well only to find out the next morning that she'd managed to get it off her foot. It doesn't seem to be slowing her down so rather than trying to reset after more than 48 hours I decided to return her to her hatch mates and let her be. She's doing wonderful and is the most active of the three chicks.
Does kind of make me cringe when I look at those two toes bent at a 90 degree angle from where they should be but it's not seeming to bother her.
I now have 5 Ameraucana adolescents. THe lady I got them from gave me another pullet since I got 2 roosters and two hens instead of three hens and a rooster. Too bad one of the roosters has some serious red bleeding through from a few generations back when she had a wheaten rooster cause her original Silver got killed.
The other rooster is a silver which makes me really happy. Just waiting to see how good a silver before I mate him with the 2 silvers and one black Ameraucana pullets.
My other three roosters are starting to get spur nubs. So we'll see how Tolkien, orson, and Vader's personalities change once they realize they've been weaponized.
Still want to get rid of Orson along with the silver and red ameraucana. BOth are considered Easter Eggers. Orson I believe is a F2 or F3 EE while the other cockerel just doesn't meet Breed standards for Ameraucana's. So Orson most likely carries blue and brown genes while the other is a straight up blue gene cockerel. If anyone is interested in them let me know.
 
Processed a bunch of birds this weekend for customers, this is why you purge for at least a day before processing :oops:
22339187_10210397489753672_6160768310238179729_o.jpg
 

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